Exploring bugs in Central Texas through the eyes of a child

Hey everyone, I’m back to talk about bugs. Today we are going to talk about mealybug destroyers. If you look in the above picture, you’ll see a ladybug. But look up and to the left of the ladybug. See that fluffy white thing? That is a MEALYBUG DESTROYER! They eat lots of aphids. And apparently mealybugs. But not themselves. They are mealybug destroyers, not mealybugs. But it is pretty cool because when they are larva they are white and kind of fluffy looking, like cotton candy. Actually they try to look like mealybugs. My mom says this is called mimicry. When they turn into adults, they turn brown.

My mom just told me that mealybug destroyers are related to ladybugs. And that’s all I am going to say. Here’s another picture

So you should remember that mealybug destroyers are not really mealybugs and that they are good to have in the garden. And cool to look at.

(added later) my mom just found this picture she took last year. man, that is a bug party. Click on the picture to see it closeup.

I just learnt about this larva. It turned up in my water garden and my first thought was that it was a mealy bug. A dangerous camouflage for this little guy because he nearly went the way of mealy bugs. But, I checked him out and found he was a good guy. Thank you for sharing your knowledge of this little garden helper.